Fear From the Heartland — A Horror Fiction Anthology and Scary Stories Podcast

An evening meant to bring a husband and wife closer ends with the loss of their infant daughter. In the months that follow, he struggles to reach Beth through her grief while privately wrestling with anger and guilt of his own. When she begins cooking again, opening the curtains, and speaking about their daughter without breaking down, he allows himself to hope. But the stove stays lit long after the meals are finished. Candles burn in empty rooms, and he hears his wife talking when no one else is there. As her comforting routines become increasingly unsettling, he must...

At a small-town Florida carnival, the Ferris wheel stands still, the concession stalls sit abandoned, and something is growing where it should not. Detectives Dachery and Margot arrive to investigate a scene neither can explain. Flowers bloom from human remains. Moss spreads across the attractions with impossible speed. And a strange proclamation invokes a name that means nothing to them: the Moss Prophet. With daylight fading and backup still on the way, the partners search for answers among the remnants of a celebration gone terribly wrong. But every discovery makes the grounds less familiar—and their route back to th...

Christmas has become a season Dakota Storm would rather endure alone. Since the crash that took his wife and young son, the sheriff’s deputy has struggled to find a reason to keep going. An abandoned border collie named Apollo has given him one. Then a dying prisoner asks to see him—and makes a claim Storm cannot dismiss. Among the belongings his wife left behind, Storm finds a journal that sends him south to Memphis, where locked doors conceal suffering and asking the wrong questions can make a man a target. With Apollo at his side, he follows a tr...

Alastair has spent more than a century among the dead, waiting for a chance to escape the darkness they share. He knows the rules of their confinement, the price of moving forward, and the satisfaction of making the living pay. But just as freedom seems within reach, a silent passenger begins to stir. A thousand voices. One body. And something inside that refuses to leave. In our latest episode, we take you on a disturbing journey into a mind crowded with secrets, grievances, and competing hungers. When every voice wants out, who can be trusted with control?

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Years after escaping the masked stranger who imprisoned her, Zella travels to the prison where he is serving his sentence. She tells herself she has come to prove that he no longer owns any part of her. But the scars covering her body are not the only things she carried out of that basement. Something lives inside Zella, something hungry enough to sense the darkness clinging to everyone around her and patient enough to wait for the smallest fracture in her resolve. As memories of captivity, manipulation, and forbidden rites begin forcing their way to the surface, Zella must...

Jessica thought the worst part of being a New York City bike messenger was the traffic. Then an ordinary delivery sent her into a silent alley—and into the jaws of something that should not exist. When she awakens inside a facility hidden from the outside world, Jessica learns that everyone she knew believes she is dead. Her rescuers claim they are protecting her from creatures concealed behind supernatural disguises, and that an extraordinary inheritance has given her the power to see what others cannot. Under the guidance of the dangerously charming Agent Sam Johnson, she must learn to na...

After losing his daughter, Richard retreats to his childhood home in the Missouri countryside, searching for the solitude he needs to write—and the strength to let go of a place crowded with painful memories. But something has fallen near the abandoned Pea Ridge mine, and the surrounding woods are no longer behaving as they should. The animals have disappeared. An acrid, ammonia-like odor drifts between the trees. Something powerful enough to tear through sheet metal is circling Richard’s house—and it seems drawn to more than blood. As night closes over the Ozarks, Richard and his faithful three...

When two friends journey to a remote Vietnamese island to investigate rumors of a Bigfoot-like creature, they expect blurry photographs, strange footprints, and perhaps another internet hoax. Instead, they stumble upon a secret so disturbing it challenges everything they believe about the human mind—and the price some people are willing to pay to escape it.

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The world is dying. A green mist blankets the land, the dead refuse to stay dead, and humanity's last flicker of hope grows dimmer with every passing day. Yet amid the ruin, a weathered healer discovers a frightened young woman whose greatest strength has yet to reveal itself. What begins as an act of mercy becomes the first step in a legend. Together they will cross kingdoms scarred by war, encounter spirits both benevolent and monstrous, challenge ancient dogma, and confront an evil that has shaped the world for generations. But destiny rarely announces itself with thunder. Sometimes it...

When Robert Morgan was a teenager, a strange old shaman placed a black arrowhead into his hand and warned him never to let anyone else touch it. He dismissed the encounter as the ramblings of a madman—until the people around him began dying in impossible ways. Now, decades later, Robert has built the perfect life: wealth, success, a loving family, and a respected career. But beneath the surface, something ancient has been growing inside him. Nightmares plague his sleep. Violent urges claw at his thoughts. And the voice of a dead shaman whispers from the darkness, demanding vengeance. As...

Beyond the wasteland, beyond the last safe road, a mountain waits with its mouth open. Drawn onward by secrets, old wounds, and forces they barely understand, two men descend into a place of firelit stone, blind horrors, and ancient judgment. What they find below is not merely hidden history, but something living, watchful, and hungry. This episode promises a savage journey into darkness where every step forward feels fated—and every answer comes at a cost.

Listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chillingtalesfordarknights/

When the world begins to unravel, it isn’t always monsters or plagues that bring humanity to its knees. Sometimes, it’s the choices we make for love. In this chilling episode, two unforgettable tales explore what happens when devotion, betrayal, and desperation collide with the end of everything we thought we knew. In one story, a fractured couple struggling to hold their marriage together must navigate a landscape where survival itself is uncertain—and where the promise they made to each other may carry a terrible cost. In another, an illicit romance spirals into something far darker, as a pers...

In this chilling episode, humanity clings to survival in the shadow of a catastrophe that refused to stay buried. Safe havens come with conditions. Miracles arrive with strings attached. And the line between protector and predator grows thinner with every passing day. As civilization flickers in the ruins, listeners are invited into a world where salvation wears a reassuring smile, science promises second chances, and hope may be the most dangerous temptation of all. What does it mean to be human when memory can be erased, bodies rebuilt, and the future engineered by unseen hands? Darkly philosophical, quietly devastating...

This season-opening episode of Fear From the Heartland plunges listeners into a brutal, myth-soaked world crafted in the mind of author Hank Belbin, where forgotten gods leave monuments instead of mercy, where guidance may be a trap, and where simply enduring can mark you for something far worse than death. As the journey presses westward into hostile territory shaped by violence, decay, and unseen intelligence, one truth becomes impossible to ignore: Some places don’t want you to leave.

Before the headlines. Before the panic. Before the questions no one could answer— There was the night everything went wrong. This episode follows the eerie disappearance of a rising New York star and the unseen forces that converge around him: a volatile family bound by blood, a relentless pursuer with a long memory, and a performance that was never meant for human eyes. As the truth unravels, it becomes clear that the real story was never about fame… but about what was lurking under it.

In the blistered ruins of a world that has forgotten mercy, one man’s defiance becomes a spark in the kingdom of the damned. Across the desert wastes of Zimitra, faith is measured in blood, and the gods wear the faces of their victims. When a fallen assassin awakens beneath the knife of his captors, he is offered a single, unholy bargain—freedom, in exchange for a sin greater than any he has yet committed. From the mind of Hank Belbin comes a brutal, myth-soaked tale of vengeance and survival in a world where flesh is currency, faith is slav...

In this chilling episode of Fear From the Heartland, the line between guardian and monster blurs, and innocence collides with the demands of blood and shadow. When old pacts tremble and dark legacies fall into new hands, survival means choosing between loyalty and damnation. Enter a world where contracts bind deeper than family, where every smile may hide a fanged snarl, and where even the most fragile soul can become the sharpest weapon. Step inside—if you dare—and witness horror not merely inherited, but unleashed.

When the lights go out and the world drifts into sleep, some secrets refuse to stay buried. In this haunting episode, we explore the thin veil between devotion and destruction, love and obsession, safety and terror. Two lives, worlds apart, are bound by the monsters that rise from within—and by the chilling truth that sometimes the greatest danger isn’t out there in the dark…it’s waiting at home.

In this pulse-quickening episode of Fear from the Heartland, host Paul J. McSorley invites you to peer into the shadows with three unnerving tales from master storyteller Xavier Poe Kane. Beneath the surface of everyday lives, something sinister stirs—twisted hungers, impossible missions, and long-forgotten promises that demand to be kept. Tonight’s stories bend genre and morality alike, dragging you through grim back alleys of the past and forcing you to ask: What would you do if justice didn’t come… unless you brought it yourself? From dark satire to speculative horror to supernatural folklore, this trio of tales de...

The lights are low. The previews are over. The film begins… In this haunting episode of FFTH, what begins as an investigation into a missing audience spirals into something far more disturbing. Inside an aging suburban theater, the shadows stretch too long, the air buzzes with forgotten memories, and the screen holds more than a story—it holds a secret. One that shouldn’t be seen. One that refuses to fade. So grab your popcorn, but don’t get too comfortable. Because once this film starts, there’s no guarantee you’ll make it to the credits. "The Film" by Jason Fis...

Some names should never be spoken. And some promises echo louder in the dark. In this haunting episode of From Folklore to the Heartland, journey into the shadowed wilds of Slavic legend and twisted fairy realms, where ancient beings still barter in blood and gold—and the price of love may be far more than you’re willing to pay. Guided by the bone-cracking footsteps of Baba Yaga herself, host PJM presents a tale where nothing is what it seems, and survival hinges on memory, sacrifice, and the oldest kind of magic.

When the dead start walking the streets of New Orleans, only one man seems to notice something's terribly wrong—and he's just unpacked his last moving box. In a city known for its mysteries, something ancient has awakened… something that doesn't fear bullets, boundaries, or the light of day. From abandoned mausoleums to back-alley bars, whispers grow louder: of shadows with no eyes, of men who shouldn’t be breathing, and of a darkness older than the city itself. As tourists vanish and the line between folklore and fact begins to blur, one investigator finds himself drawn into a hidden...

Two voices. One question: Would you listen if it sounded like someone you loved? When the wind howls and the light begins to flicker, something ancient stirs just beyond the threshold. In tonight’s episode, FFTH delivers a pair of haunting tales where isolation breeds temptation, and grief becomes the perfect bait. From the cliffs of a storm-battered lighthouse to the soot-choked hearth of a woodland cottage, the voices are calling — soothing, familiar, impossible to ignore. But in places where the veil wears thin, not everything that speaks should be answered.

War never truly ends—it just changes shape. In this episode of Fear from the Heartland, the battlefield isn’t a jungle, a desert, or a distant warzone. It’s closer. Too close. When an unstoppable force begins its quiet invasion, one man finds himself fighting a war no one else seems to see, a war where the enemy is small but merciless, methodical, and multiplying. Paul J. McSorley delivers a chilling performance in tonight’s story, where paranoia meets reality and the line between past battles and present horrors begins to blur. Prepare yourself for an episode that will lea...

Step behind the curtain and into the shadows—where deception, desire, and darkness intertwine. In this chilling episode of Fear From The Heartland, host Paul J. McSorley guides you through a labyrinth of human ambition, temptation, and deadly consequences. When trust is a fragile illusion and passion masks something far more sinister, who will be left standing when the final act unfolds?

With gripping performances and an atmosphere thick with suspense, this episode will leave you questioning just how well you truly know the ones closest to you. Tune in—if you dare—and discov...

Step into the fiery depths of Hell's most twisted bureaucracy in the spine-chilling and darkly humorous season opener of Fear from the Heartland. Hosted by Paul J. McSorley, this episode invites you into a world where ambition clashes with cunning, chaos battles order, and failure is met with unthinkable consequences.

Follow the journey of a veteran demon as he faces a trial like no other—a harrowing encounter with Hell’s own brand of corporate hierarchy, where every misstep could lead to eternal torment. With razor-sharp wit, grotesque imagery, and a devilishly clever narrative, this...

Step into the past, glimpse the future, and lose yourself in the extraordinary. In this special episode of Fear From the Heartland, host Paul J. McSorley invites you to revisit two timeless tales from the show's first season, both masterfully penned by J.C. Fields. These thought-provoking stories explore the boundaries of time, reality, and the human spirit, challenging perceptions of what it means to alter the unalterable. With moments of suspense, mystery, and existential wonder, this episode promises a journey that will linger in your thoughts long after the final word is spoken. Tune in for a gripping...

Welcome to the Season 5 finale! 

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Welcome to Season 5, Episode 24. Just one more episode until the show goes on hiatus, but fret not- all the material will be staying up for future listening pleasure. 

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Gregory has always wanted to be a prolific writer. He was just never able to quite find the “muse.” That is until an ancient pen forged by a god came into his possession.

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Welcome to Season 5, Episode 22 of Fear from the Heartland.

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In tonight’s tale teenage fans of a legendary Rock 'n' Roll star plunge into a perilous quest, determined to resurrect a forbidden song, hidden even from the Prince of Darkness himself. Their journey leads them to the eerie depths of Alex Ryder's abandoned mansion, where the boundaries between rock and horror blur.

Death photography was all the rage in the early 1800’s. For many grieving families, a picture of their deceased loved one helped them to heal. But for some, the macabre items were a gateway to terror

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Welcome to Season 5, Episode 19 of Paul J. McSorley's Fear From the Heartland podcast! 

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A Halloween story that is meant to stir you in a way very different from the normal ghouls and goblins one is expecting in this season of zombies and killer clowns. An unusual tale of loss and the mental acknowledgment of such. The Halloween Funeral.

Evil Idol, Chilling Tales for Dark Nights’ voice acting competition, is back for 2023! That’s right: Evil Idol: Resurrection takes place this November!

It starts Monday, November 27, with a special twist! This year, we’ve left a spot in the competition open for one of our listeners, with no prior voice acting experience, to join the fray! To claim the lucky 13th position, what you need to do is send us an email by midnight central time on Sunday, November 12, and include a vocal recording of yourself, explaining in two minutes or less, why you should...

The Hudson River Valley of New York state near the town of Sleepy Hollow, there is a tale of the annual visit of a nocturnal horse rider who is missing his head. The dates of these visits always correspond to the occurrence of Halloween. When the appearance of the horseman turns deadly, Shorty Small does what Shorty Small always does. He chases the phantom

A local legend lurking in the Delta’s murky bottoms, revived each time someone entered the soggy forest and never returned, or worse—a mutilated corpse was discovered. It’s all fun and games until someone you know disappears.

Dokkaebi: A goblin finds love in the arms of a broken human, and he'll remind her how much her kind can trust humans. AND The Anniversary: It's the Williams' anniversary and Robert is out of town...on business. June has a special surprise planned for her husband, which is nothing compared to the shock he unwittingly has for her.

They say the victors write history, but that’s just the outcome of one possible timeline. Sometimes in war, as in peace, some things are better remembered, lest history repeat itself. Then again, in the far reaches of believability, some things are better left forgotten–or unspoken of.